Student essay on 9/11 photography, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Commemorative edition by die students of Stuyvesant Higli School

‘Normal’ Redefined for Students After the North Tower was hit, I was sitting in my second period class and it dawned on Daniel Vizzini me that my brother worked in that building, so I left the classroom to try and call Oct. 2—Leaders on all levels, from of school, juniors who are starting what is tradi­ someone.... I soon found out President George W. Bush to Student Union tionally the hardest year in high school, and that my cell phone wasn't President Jukay Hsu, have preached the impor­ seniors beginning the college application working. I ran into two of my tance of a return to normalcy, exalting the pro­ process, the realities of competitive academia closest friends, and I was so ductive and therapeutic benefits of routine. But should eventually set in. Many agree that the frantic that they had to lead for Stuyvesant students, displaced from school return to the familiar confines of 345 Chambers me to the phones on the first and unable to attend classes for nearly two Street will bring a sense of normalcy and com­ floor. The lines were long and weeks after the tragedy, life is anything but nor­ fort. “The normal setting should bring back the I couldn't get through when mal. “Right now we need time to adjust from normal routine,” acknowledged Dergachev. it got to be my turn. We the terrorist attack and also from the return to But a quick recovery is not guaranteed. heard about how some stu­ school,” said junior Nick Kasatkin. The psychological distress of witnessing the dents were using Ms. Levine's So for the time being, something almost as attack may hinder Stuy students academically. unprecedented as the terrorist attack itself has office to make calls. So we The Wall Street Journal estimates that a third of happened to the student body: grade-driven the witnesses to the Oklahoma City bombing rushed up, and eventually I attitudes have been suspended indefinitely. suffered and in some cases continue to suffer got in touch with him, and Instead of afternoons filled with club meetings, from post-traumatic stress disorder. This means the second I started to cry evenings with homework, and sleepless nights that hundreds of Stuyvesant students may from joy, they all did the with essay writing, Stuyvesant students largely experience such symptoms as loss of appetite, same. It made me appreciate spent the past few weeks with family and insomnia, poor concentration, and irritability. how much they helped. It friends, trying to reflect on what happened and Students are not the only ones faced with turns out my brother decided also divert their attention from the devastation. special challenges. Stuyvesant teachers must to just stay home that day Many think the attack put their scholastic pur­ find ways of dealing with the conflicting for no good reason. suits in perspective. “It seems meaningless," demands of understandably distracted students Some luck. said junior Benjamin Sarlin, who said he has and a dramatically shortened schedule. — Kristin Loughran, senior absolutely no regrets that he didn’t look at a Advanced algebra and precalculus teacher John textbook during his time off from Stuy. Instead, Pratt, known for his substantial nightly home­ I felt the building shake, but Sarlin volunteered at Ground Zero for the Red work, said he will assign a lighter worldoad. I couldn't tell if it was the Cross, which he called “extremely rewarding.” Still, he will take a no-nonsense approach to building shaking because While junior Alex Dergachev is happy that he teaching, he said, as he believes there is no 1 was shaking. studied modestly for the SATs, he found more other way to get through the curriculum he still —Kameli Chow, senior solace in seeing fidends and working out. has to tackle. Still, while students are not rushing back Students who have trouble concentrating into the normal school routine, most believe its I really kept my head in the on academics will be referred to counselors, sleep-depriving daily grind will return. For according to Pratt. “We hope to intervene sand. I tried not to look out freshmen who had only experienced four days early,” said Pratt. the windows. 1 went outside and had a cigarette. I could see the whole tower set against the deep blue sky. It was stunning to see the holes dog’s barking grates on my nerves until I remember continuedfrom page 9 what it’s being used for. If I were crawling over piles and the fire against such a of buckled steel and shattered concrete looking for rich blue background. It was of shovels in the lobby’s foyer. Neither Ben nor I had seen them. We had also missed the bodies all day, Td demand some attention too. incongruous, almost like it camoflauge-clad National Guardsmen sleeping Tables are set up all over the lobby with pack­ wasn't real. It was actually outside on “the Wall” and cops eating fare from a aged snacks and medical supplies like bandages beautiful. I had a hard time McDonald’s food tent on the corner of Chambers and saline solution. Over near the pool entrance coping with my initial reac­ and Greenwich. are more stacks of cardboard boxes, marked things tion. I felt guilty about it, She points out the little details that show that like “New Socks” and “Underwear.” Some of the smoking my cigarette in awe her room’s been used: a flashlight sits on her desk, boxes are open and are filled with food, tissues and of this spectacle while people papers have been ripped in hSf in her drawers, a protective face masks, all of which, I realize, came from donors. were dying. I went back into set of numbers is written on the chalkboard: 31, 3, 29,49, 8,30,52 with the 52 circled. PowerbaU num­ On the second floor behind the escalators, we the building, and I finally bers? Stationed fire filters? It’s a mystery. see a hot bar set up. Firemen walk around with went to look out the window We offer to help her carry her bags of books trays of French toast and bacon, and cots are set up ... and saw this dark, roiling and ride the elevator to the fifth floor. The doors to everywhere. Inside the SU are more cots and boots, cloud of smoke and debris the locker room are propped open and crates are and there is even a cot set up inside The Spectator coming at us. We'd been piled against the walls, as on other floors. A big guy, office. It is covered with a red sheet and a pink waiting for further instruc­ a fire fighter perhaps, gets into the elevator with us. towel; a box of Epsom salts sits next to it. But other tions, but it seemed that I realize that he’s wearing a blue Stuyvesant Peglegs than that, the office looks the same. there wouldn't be any further T-shirt and shorts. Maybe they raided the Student Leaving, we had just enough time to notice a sign hanging on ropes in front of the senior bar: instructions. My thought was Store, the teacher suggests after he leaves. Back on the first floor, the teacher asks us to “Chiropractor, Will Lift Your Spirits.” just, 'Let's get the hell out of wait while she makes a trip to the library. We sit They’ll need it. The rubble outside is the sad­ here.' side by side on the steps, taking in the scene. The dest thing I’ve ever seen. — Robert Floersch, social studies teacher

3 h 21 The Spectator • Fall 2001

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